Puella Magi Lyra Magica
by Wingedsquirel
Summary: Its been three years since Lyra was forced from Will to her homeworld.  Just when she had given up on ever seeing him again she meets a mysterious creature that will grant her wish to see him again.  In exchange she will be forced to fight dark enemies.
1. A wish?  What kind of nonsense is that?

There she was in the garden. The same garden she's promised Will she'd meet. The midsummer breeze was flowing through the trees. "So close... But so far..." Lyra said. She was blond haired blue eyed and 15. She knew she'd never see him again. Never. But she had to live her life... It wasn't worth it to throw herself to death for his sake. "Pan... I think we've been here long enough." she said. "There's the symbology exam I need to study for." she said sadly. She listened for the rustling of her deamon returning to her.

"Hello there." a voice said. She stared at the creature. It wasn't Pan. He was vaguely weasel shaped true. But he was pure white and looked like he was part cat. "My name is Kyubey." Lyra was still confused. The thing wasn't a deamon that was for sure. Lyra had never seen an animal like that and daemons were the same as real animals. But more oddly the creature was not truly speaking as daemons had to do. His lips were motionless and frozen in a smile like expression. "I'm communicating with you telepsychiclly*." he said. "Where's your daemon?" he asked in a shockingly upbeat tone.

"Oh... Um..." she said. _Is he from this world? _Lyra thought. _He's very non-chalant about me missing my very soul. _"Pan!" she called again not taking her eyes off the creature.

The marten rustled through the bushes. He smiled for a moment when he saw his Lyra. But then he stared at the white creature stopping for a moment before comforting his human.

"There he is." Kyubey said without any degree of shock. "Humans on this world usually have those things." he said with not even a degree of change in his voice.

Pan ruffled in agitation at being called a "thing". Lyra tried her best to ignore this slight. "I've trained with the witches." Lyra lied. Lying still came naturally to her and she felt this wasn't a creature to be honest with.

"OK then." he said. She indicated a brief shake their. As if the word "witches" had set him off.

"I don't trust this thing." Pan said snuggling up to Lyra. "He seems so... distant."

"Differences aren't to be feared." Kyubey said, his cheerful tone finally seeming appropriate.

"Come on Pan. We've dealt with the armored bears and the mulefa." she said. "Which begs the question..." she didn't dare to call the thing either "sir" or "ma'am" to avoid offense. "Are you from this world?" she asked.

"Ah... You know of other worlds then." he said. "Indeed our kind come from another world."

"But those gates..." Lyra said. Interuniversal "windows" had been eliminated. They were doing serious damage to the worlds Dust supply and had all been sealed. _Please let out sacrifice not be in vain. _She thought thinking of her last night with Will...

"Something's troubling you." Kyubey said. "Our kind don't use windows. It's such a waste. All that entropy out the window."

Lyra tried to look into its face seeing if that was meant as a joke. She couldn't read the weasel at all.

"You don't!" she said suddenly realizing the implications. "Can you teach me?" she said. If the creature was as good at recognizing emotion as it was at hiding them he would have noticed the desperation in her voice.

"It's not something you can be taught." Kyubey said. Lyra's brief excitement faded. "But it is something that can be wished for."

"A wish? What kind of nonsense is that?" she said incredulously. Pan was now wrapped tightly around her neck staring at the white weasel with eyes of pure terror.

"It's true!" he said. "We incubators can grant wishes... For a price." he said.

"What price?" she asked.

"We want girls... Around your age mind you." he said twitching his tail. "To form contracts with us. These contracts grant you magical powers of your own. But..."

"Tell me the catch!" Lyra said. "I've lived by life on the streets far to long to get into something if you don't know the catch." she said indigantly.

"Become a Princess Mage*!" he said. "And fight the Dark Queens* that plague this world." he said.

Telepsychicly is another word which I imagine might have developed differently in Lyra's world. Tele means far and psyche means soul in this case.

But I know this will be a bigger issue with fans. "Princess Mage"? "Dark Queen?" Well this was honestly the best way I could think of to preserve the original Japanese wordplay. Plus there would be confusion with this worlds non-evil witches otherwise.

EPISODE 8 SPOILERS.

"In this country they call those who are becoming women girls (sho**jo**). It is only logical that we call those who become witches **(majo**) magical girls. (**ma**hou sho**jo**)."

This would be given my translation of the term. "In these countries we call those who inherit power Princesses. But their true power will only come once they have fulfilled their destiny as Queens.

Everything Is Better With Princesses but God Save Us From The Queen!

So this is a His Dark Materials and Puella Magi Madoka Magica crossover obviously. Lyra will eventually accept the contract (with a wish which will shock absolutely no one) But there will be more magical girls, all of them OCs. I'll try to keep up at least a weekly update schedule. Enjoy!


	2. Are you coming?

"What does this mean?" Lyra snapped. "I haven't the foggiest of what you're actually going on about!"

"Princess Mages are born from wishes." Kyubey said. "Dark Queens are born from curses." he continued. "The Queens feed on humans... killing them, getting them to kill themselves, and some just leech energy off them till there's nothing left."

She was unnerved at how nonchalantly he said all this. But she could believe him. It was rather outrageous to be an outright lie and his tone, as cold as it was, was not that of a madman.

"Perhaps its a bit to much to explain." the creature said. "I'll round up another magical girl to demonstrate." he said as if it was no bigger than showing her how to tie her shoes. "Meet me here at midnight tonight." the creature said.

As he vanished into the bushes Pan said. "That thing... It's like nothing we've ever seen before." he said.

Lyra nodded. "It certainly is inhuman. But we can reach an understanding with him. Like we dealt with Ieorek." she said more cheerfully than she felt.

"We should get back to our studies." Pan said.

Lyra complied. She entered into the new brick-lined apartment and the shining spiral staircase into her bedroom. Anna, her roommate, was gone. "Left to kiss the arse of that damned Authority." she commented.

Pan responded. "Better than bringing it into our room."

This had been a fight between them. Anna would often retire earlier than Lyra, always praying before going to bed. Lyra was perpetually irritated by this show of faith. The bickering grew to the point that Lyra often would leave to meet Sarah at the cafe while Anna said her prayers. But now she had to deal with studying for her symbology class.

She took out a chart laden with symbols. There were hundreds of symbols with meanings which varied from the obvious to the obscure. These symbols needed to be learned and memorized in order to use her altheiometer. It was work that was both tedious and fascinating. But she was going to try something she hadn't done since she lost her gift.

"You know it won't work Lyra." Pan said staring as his human manipulated the hands of the device.

"True Pan." she said. "But I feel like I just need to try it." she said.

She moved the hands of the althiometer. "The moon." Lyra said. _The uncanny. _"The alpha and omega." _A contract _"The angel." _A wish. _

The fourth needle responded to her question. Lyra recorded the symbols of the device The snake, the helmet, the bird, the marionette, the bread, the hourglass, the compass.

"It's a long response." Lyra said. "A shame I can't read it." Lyra said

"Are you sure about this?" Pan said.

"No Pan." she said. "It's a deal that sounds too good to be true." Lyra said "I'm not signing up until I know the catch."

As soon as she'd said this she heard the chatter of Anna and her daemon. "Great." she said sarcastically.

"Come on Lyra." she said. "Let's meet up with Sarah." he said.

The two left the room to find that Sarah was there as usual, reading her book. Lyra was her sole friend. Sarah stroked Scipio, her Border Collie daemon. The daemon's form was an object of scorn among St. Joan's. Female scholar's were looked down enough without _**servants **_passing themselves off as scholars.

"Good evening Lyra." Sarah said flipping through her mundane theology* textbook. "Evening Pan." said Scipio.

She sighed. It was nice to spend evenings with Sarah. She was intensely curious, but she was also very quiet. Lyra liked telling her about her secrets, seeking her condolence in the harshness of this school. Lyra knew it was much harder for her than she let on and felt guilty of burdening her friend with her concerns. She decided to forgo mentioning the creature in the garden.

"How are you doing Sarah?" she asked her companion.

"Fine." she said though looking a bit shaken. She flipped through several pages of her textbook. "Need to study up on entropic law*." she said.

"You know my livelihood." Lyra said with a chuckle. "Symbols. Got to memorize hundreds of these icons for the exam tomorrow." It then occurs to her. "Entropic?" Lyra asked.

"The net static law states that no energy in the universe is ever lost.*" Sarah said. "The entropic law states that the energy of the universe tends to become less orderly over time." she says.

_ That weasel mentioned entropy. _Lyra recalled. _The Dust decay was proof of that concept, I suppose. _

"Why are you interested in theology Lyra?" she said suspiciously.

"Well..." Lyra said.

Then came Grace. She was adorned in light silk clothes for the summer air. A black swan daemon fluttered up to her human and perched on Grace's shoulder.

"Servant girl, can you get me some cola?" Grace said as haughty as ever. "Us Lyalls need to keep ourselves hydrated." she said in a facetiously sweet tone. Grace was a member of the Lyall family. Her family had produced some of the most well regarded scholars of her generation. She took her heritage as if it entitled her to all the respect her family had earned.

"Ok..." Sarah said. Sarah rose from her seat.

Lyra on the other hand put her hand on Sarah's. "Listen Grace. She may have a dog daemon. But that doesn't give you the right to be a humongous bitch!"

"What did you call me?" Grace said. The swan shuddered a bit. The birds motion signaled to Lyra that perhaps Grace was self-aware on some level.

"I'm sick of you treating everyone like servants." she said. "We're all here for the same reason, family or no family."

Pan was hissing a bit.

"Well I..." she said. But at that moment she just stopped. Her eyes went dull for a second and she remained silent. She merely walked away. As she left she saw a kind of mark flashing on her neck. The mark was shaped like a shield. She looked around and no one seemed to notice. Except for Sarah. She saw the mark and looked at it in horror.

"We need..." she said. In an action that shocked Lyra completely she felt Sarah tug at her and drag her through the hallways.

"You saw it." Sarah said.

"That tattoo?" Lyra asked. "It was kind of hard not to notice."

"That means... Are you the one...?" She said running while Pan and Scipio followed.

By the time they neared the garden Lyra had a grasp at what was going on.

"Hello there Ms. Belaqua." Kyubey said sitting there oblivious to either girls panic. "Lucky for me you seem to have already met the Princess Mage at this school."

"Sarah?" Lyra asked,

"You know everyone has their secrets Lyra." Sarah responded. "Let me show you mine."

Lyra gasped at what happened next. She stroked Scipio for a second. The dog seemingly folded up like paper into the form of an onyx gem about the size of Lyra's Althoemeter. She held the Gem out and in a mere seconds she changed from St. Joan's uniform to scholars cap and gown. The Gem that had been Scipio was nestled on the top of her cap.

"What!" Lyra said. "What happened?"

"Ah yes..." Kyubey said. "Daemons are rather inconvenient in combat." He twitched his tail a bit. "That's why we put them away in Soul Gems when a Princess Mage transforms."

"Don't worry Lyra." she said. "It isn't like intercision or anything." she said. "Scipio's still here and a part of me." Sarah pointed to her Gem. "Just safe and sound. And its a simple matter to change him back"

Lyra was a bit apprehensive about that point. Sarah didn't seem to have been radically altered by the transformation. "Come on Lyra." Pan said. "After the world of the dead. I can take being a gemstone for a bit."

His voice was bitter. But Lyra understood him... Her betrayal... Just leaving him on the shore while Lyra reunited with Roger of the most painful betrayal in her life. Surely this couldn't be much worse.

"I can presume from your state of panic that you have noticed our visitor." Kyubey said.

Sarah nodded. "Gra... Grace has a royal seal on her." she said fearfully.

"Which means I think we can show Lyra what being a Princess Mage is all about." Kyubey said.

Sarah took Lyra's hand and said. "We need to save her." she said. In that moment her outfit resumed to normal and the border collie reappeared.

"You need me to sniff her out?" the daemon asked.

"Yes Scipio." his human said confidently.

The dog took to the ground following Grace's scent. Lyra was left to ponder what would happen to Grace if the Queen got to her? Grace was a grade A brat but did she deserve to die?

"Lyra." Pan said. "We need to stop people from throwing their lives away." Pan reminded her. "That's what we swore we'd do."

Lyra remembered the promise. To build the Republic of Heaven as best they could in this world. If stopping witches saved and enriched lives... It was worth the risk.

"Here it is!" Scipio called.

The collie stopped at a bridge over the river Thames. Grace was nearing the docks clearly intending to jump off. Her daemon was trying as best as a swan could to hold her human back.

"Stop it." Sarah said. "I won't let you do this." she said. She summoned a whip with a black handle and bound Grace before she was able to take the plunge. Grace struggled against it but Sarah bound her tighter until she passed out.

"If we don't topple the Queen." Sarah said. "She'll try again when she awakens."

Lyra nodded though secretly suspecting Sarah enjoyed whipping Grace.

There was a mural of the crucifixion. The detail into the scene of Jesus's death left Lyra very uncomfortable. " I think it's just sadistic." Lyra said.

"We don't have time for criticizing artwork!" Sarah said. She took her Gem and pressed it to the wall. A rip in space appeared.

"A window!" Lyra said.

"A domain*." Sarah corrected her. "A pocket dimension that Queens hide in." she said. "Are you coming?"

Lyra nodded solemnly. Pan and Kyubey followed the girls into the witches Domain.

AUTHOR"S NOTE's

Some claim that "experimental theology" is synominous with "physics". But consdiering the fact that the term seems incredibly vauge I'd say it's more equivalent to "science". Mundane theology is the term I'm inventing for physics specifically

Entropic Law = Second Law of Thermodynamics

Net Static Law =First Law of Thermodynamics

Royal Seal =Witch's Kiss

Domain =Barrier


	3. It's time for action!

The Queen's domain... It was like nothing Lyra had ever seen.

Iridescent water flowed around the pair in all directions. It twisted and turned into a kind of kaleidoscopic whirlpool. As deranged as the surrounding water was, there was more disturbing imagery in what floated in the water. Guns, knives, and long pipes ending in some kind of saucer, all floated under the half finished bridge the pair stood on. As the river flowed it swept them up, and the objects began to dissolve into a substance that Lyra feared may have been blood.

"We don't have a lot of time Lyra." Sarah said. As calm as she tried to sound Lyra saw her grasp the air on her left as if she was instinctively reaching out to pet Scipio. "Those things..." she said pointing to the floating objects. "Are our only way to the center of our domain."

Lyra nodded. _You've been to the world of the dead, Lyra. You've been children with their very souls ripped out. This is nothing._

On the bridge there were some odd runes. 1)

"What do those mean?" Lyra asked.

"I can't read them" Sarah said. "Kyubey claims its the language of magic." she continued. "The only language witches can understand."

"Oh..." she said.

She stepped to the river. There were more runes on the pipes. Lyra glanced at them. 2). They seemed so out of place.

"These things are everywhere." Sarah said. "We can't waste any time. Grace is counting on us, remember?"

Lyra nodded. This whole place made her feel uneasy but theres was little time to be wasted.

They crossed the bridge of scattered objects. They had almost reached the shore when she was startled by a technicolor Dragon thing. "What!" Lyra lost her balance and fell in the water. As the current carried her down stream she realized that she was numb. There was not an ounce of pain from the raging water... It almost made her relax.

"Lyra!" Sarah said. She wrapped the whip around the dragon. The beast froze for a second. Seizing the opportunity Sarah hopped on the dragon and flew down stream after Lyra. When she arrived Sarah tossed the dragon's whisker to Lyra. Lyra snapped out of her stupor and grabbed the whisker. Sarah dragged her friend onto the beast's back.

"Thank God!" Sarah said. The dragon carried her off the shore.

"What is that thing?" Lyra asked pointing to the now motionless Dragon.

"That's a Pawn*." Sarah says. "They're Queen's allies." she said. "Given time they'll turn into the queen herself."

"Why were you able to ride it then?" Lyra asked.

"This whip of mine." she held the weapon out. "It has limited mind control powers. As long as I'm stronger than it I can control anyone or anything." she said. "For a period of about five minutes anyway."

As if on cue, the dragon awoke with a snarl. It went after Sarah in rage for being controlled.

"Of course." Sarah said. "Nothing is stopping me from using it like an ordinary whip." She brought it out to its full length. The thing was barbed and twisted at Sarah's slightest movement. Lyra was amazed how the shy, bookish, Sarah had become such a competent warrior.

The dragon as a part of its revenge against the Princess Mage, attempted to ensnare her with its whiskers. Sarah escaped her bonds with ease and whipped the beast so fast it was torn clean in two. The Pawn fell disappearing into the aether of the river.

"Could I do that too?" Lyra said impressed.

"Yes, Lyra." Sarah said. "If you're willing to devote your time and safety to be an effective Princess Mage, I'm sure you'll do better than I could possibly be." she said.

Lyra looked at her friend. She appreciated the compliment but saw right through the heart of her words. Sarah thought that her, a servant girl, could never match the noble Lyra Belaqua. "You're one of the strongest people I know." Lyra lied. Her gift could help as much as it hurt.

"Thank you." Sarah said. "I... appreciate that."

Finally she smiled a bit. She was beaming for a few brief seconds before she headed on further into the Queen's domain. The water was all but gone replaced with flowers growing from pipes and the barrels of guns. Lyra was disconcerted by the dissonance. At the end of the field they reached a wall of smoke covered with ethereal runes. 3)

"This is it!" Sarah said. "The final door. It's time for action"

Kyubey appeared from his hiding spot in Lyra's bag. "Let's hope for a good fight Sarah." he said. "We need to make sure Lyra knows what a Princess mage is truly capable of.

The trio walked through the smoke into the throne room of the Queen. Lyra thought that she saw another set of runes from the corner of her eye. 4)

The witch was a flower given human form. She danced around the room oblivious to the presence of her visitors.

Sarah ran up to the Queen and wrapped her whip around her. The witch continued her dance until she tripped over whip. Finally aware of her presence, she sent out a wave of smoke. Lyra felt a hint of the numbness she felt when falling into the river. But she covered her mouth and was able to escape the effects.

Sarah did the same. However while she took the effort to guard her mouth, the Queen threw leaves as sharp as knives at her. The force was enough to cut Sarah into ribbons. The hat was pinned to the wall.

Lyra watched in horror as she fell to the ground. But she didn't allow herself to let her guard down. She kept her hands clenched to her mouth as she cried

Kyubey stared blankly at the carnage "If you wish to have a hope for leaving this place alive I'd make that contract now."

Lyra was enraged by the callous response to Sarah's death. But the white weasly bastard had a point. She was alone in this domain. If she didn't act soon, Lyra was bound to grab the Queens attention and would suffer the same fate.

"Do I have any other choice?" Lyra said sadly. She kept her mind focused on the worlds she had seen. How many were there? Did they all suffer under the Queens? And could she see Will again?

"Interesting choice." he said taking Pantalaimon into his mouth. "Afraid of a resurrection I see. Just as well. I couldn't grant that one anyway." Kyubey clamped down hard on the marten with his jaw. Lyra winced in pain... trying to avoid letting her mouth cover falter. She averted her eyes at Pan's crystallization. In a minute is subsided. Pan was a white marble gemstone.

"Be careful with that." Kyubey said.

Lyra didn't need to be told twice. Still crying, she took out her Gem and mimicked the transformation motions Sarah has performed earlier. Pan was placed on her chest, in a pin shaped like a model globe.

"You're going to pay for this!" Lyra said. Twin wheels were summoned to her sides. She felt them... Sharp and ready to slice the Queen the way she had sliced Sarah...

She tossed the rings at the Queen. She fell immediately to the ground. The flower was split in two horizontally and she fell. The barrier around her disappeared as the witch faded. A hollow sphere of metal fell in her place.

"You were great..." Sarah said.

Lyra turned around in a start. Sarah stood without a scratch on her. She was wearing her uniform and Scipio was at her side.

Lyra dropped her the object in shock. _Was this even real?_

AUTHOR"S NOTE'S

OK cliffhanger time.

So from now on terms indicating a difference between ours and Lyra's english will be recorded in asterisks. Numerical footnotes are for runes. Let's get to the latter right now.

http:/starlet..com/madoka-rune-converter/images/ 

http:/starlet..com/madoka-rune-converter/images/ 

http:/starlet..com/madoka-rune-converter/images/ 

http:/starlet..com/madoka-rune-converter/images /

1)

Copy the first and corresponding second part of the url sans the gaps in the middle to lead you to the right .png file. For the rest

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

As for the asterisks

* Pawn= Familiar This one works out rather nicely as a chess joke.


	4. Thanks for the Compliment

"How... How?" Lyra asked.

"It's among the many benefits of becoming a Princess Mage." Kyubey said. "You can't kill them by destroying their bodies." , he said. "The only way to kill them is to go for the daemon or the Soul Gem."

"That's handy." Lyra said. "But why didn't you mention that part right off the back?"

Sarah was silent. She stared at the object in Lyra's hand.

"I need it... I know you were the one who defeated the Queen..." Sarah said. "But I'm exhausted." She took Scipio and changed him into his Gem state.

"There is of course a drawback." , the weasel said. "All magic dims the soul Gem and weakens the daemon." He pointed out. "Regeneration, especially from an attack like that, costs a lot of magic."

"That's something you really should have mentioned." Lyra said growling.

"No need to worry Lyra." Kyubey said. "If you can be selfless enough to give Sarah that Grief Seed."

"Grief Seed?" Lyra said. "You mean this?" she said holding up the ornament. The object resembled a Soul Gem but was spherical instead of egg shaped. The crystal within was black, but much darker than Sarah's onyx stone.

Lyra was very suspicious of this but she tossed the Seed to Sarah. Sarah took her dimmed Soul Gem and transferred clouds of dark energy to the Grief Seed.

"Sarah. I implore you to resist the temptation to put all that energy into the Grief Seed." Kyubey said. "Too much will bring back the Queen."

"Right!" she said. Her stone had regained much of its luster, but it didn't shine nearly as brightly as Lyra's.

"If conserving magic will be a problem..." Lyra said. "I probably should change back." In that moment Lyra regained her school uniform. Pan was a marten again though he looked rather nauseous. "Will I have to go through that every time?" he asked the weasel.

"Not at all." Kyubey said. "I was in kind of a rush. And from my accounts the first transformation is always the most painful."

Lyra was very wary of the Incubator now. _He clearly knew what would happen. So this was a huge gambit to recruit me? But why? _ Pan rushed up to Lyra's shoulder.

"Regarding the nature of your wish..." Kyubey said. "It's quite a powerful one. But to take full advantage of it I've developed a little trick." , he said. "In worlds without daemons the Soul Gem is transformed into a ring when not in use."

"Without daemons?" Sarah asked fearfully. "What...?"

Lyra gave it a try. She stroked Pan again hoping for the right results. She successfully was able to change him into a ring. _This will come in handy. _Lyra thought. Lyra examined the ring closely. She noticed similar runes to the ones strewn across the labyrinth inlaid within her ring. 1)

"You two should probably get some sleep." Kyubey said. "It's going to be a long day." , he said.

Lyra nodded and sighed.

Then Grace woke up.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Grace screamed furiously. "Is this your idea of a sick joke?"

Sarah stood frozen still. Scipio was back to daemon form. But Pan...

"Where's your daemon?" Grace said in a horrified voice. "It's not right... There's only one explanation... You're a witch aren't you?"

Lyra was quick on her feet. She started rushing through possible solutions to this problem. She was Lyra Silvertounge. She could talk her way out of this.

Lyra folded her hands behind her back. She removed the ring. Pan held tight to her arm as she brought him forward.

"The term would be mirageuer* Grace." , she said showing her Pan. "I was practicing a few tricks."

"I can't believe you." Grace said her tone changing from shock to annoyance. "Figures a bastard girl would disgrace her bloodline." , she said. "Learning magic tricks like some kind of street urchin."

"I am a street urchin, princess." she said. "Thanks for the compliment."

Sarah chuckled at the in-joke.

" As for you." Grace turned to Sarah. "You can't laugh at someone of a higher station than you." , she flipped her hair as she said this.

Lyra put the hand on Sarah's shoulder. "She's not worth it Sarah." She said. She was exhausted and wanted to talk privately with her fellow mage.

Grace scooped up her swan daemon and left in a huff.

"I still don't regret saving her." Sarah said sincerely. "Still... This hunt didn't go nearly as smoothly as I thought."

"Yeah..." Lyra spun around. Kyubey had disappeared during the conversation. "But that weasel..." she said.

"You're one to talk about weasels." Sarah said jokingly. Pan feigned indigence at the slight.

"Exactly." Lyra responded. "I know mustelids." she said. "They're dishonest untrustworthy, and clever."

"Then why make a contract with him?" Sarah asked.

"Because they also have a strong sense of self preservation." Lyra responded. "The weasel picked the one moment where I would chew my leg off to escape, and jumped at it." Pan curled tighter around her neck to comfort her.

"Well,..." Sarah said. "Don't worry about it. Kyubey always fulfills his end of the bargain." , she said. "Which leads me to ask... What did you wish for?"

"I'm not so much worried about that part as I am about the fine print." Lyra responded. "But my wish... It's a long story, but in summary I wished to be able to travel between worlds."

"That's amazing!" Sarah said. "It's a very romantic idea. Traveling through worlds having adventures." , she said in a dreamlike tone. "My wish wasn't anywhere near that creative." , she said.

"What was is?" Lyra asked.

Sarah froze up again. She remained silent for a few seconds before she spoke. "It's getting late." , she said, dodging the question.

Lyra remained silent for a second. She's always assumed Sarah was straightforward and honest. But it was clear that she'd been keeping secrets for quite a while. She had to ponder what she wished for if she wasn't willing to talk about it. But she had an exam tomorrow and she couldn't afford to keep pressing Sarah for details. Lyra simply nodded her head and headed back to her dormitory. " 'Night Sarah." , she said as she reached the boarding house stoop.

Lyra climbed the lonely spiral staircase and entered her room to find the slumbering Anna. Her daemon was perched on the bed frame, a dove. She knew that Ana wouldn't have ever made the same deal that Lyra and Sarah had. She was too concerned about her soul to risk it, even to save her body. "Zealot." , she said before getting on her night clothes.

Pan was snuggling to her chest when she fell asleep. She dreamt of all the worlds she had encountered on her quest. She revisited every person she met, from humans, to daemons, to mulefa. All of them started to blur together. Will was calling but Lyra could barely hear through all the chaos. The incubator was still smiling, watching it all.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

As I discovered last chapter doesn't preserve fonts when you upload the fic. The font originally used was the same runic script shown in the anime. The same issues apparently also screwed with the border I had used to separate the Author's notes from the fic itself. I apologize for that as it kind of ruined the flow of the fic's ending.

The lack of a runic font does ruin the mystery. So I'm going to try to substitute links to the Madoka Rune converter.

For this chapter

http:/starlet..com/madoka-rune-converter/images/ 

As for the asterisks.

*Used as a more professional term for magician, similar to the word "illusionist"


	5. You don't Think?

"Morning Lyra." Pan said. "Test today."

Lyra awoke, curled up in her bed. Anna had already left.

"So let's head to breakfast." she said. She descended the staircase down to the crosswalk. Pan bounded by as she headed to the school cafe. She spotted Sarah and Scipio as well as...

"Huh?" Pan said.

"Good morning Lyra." Sarah said. Scipio was under the table licking up the scraps that fell by. To Lyra's shock Kyubey was sitting right on top of the table with no one even questioning his presence.

"They can't see me." Kyubey said. "Only Princess Mages or people I so choose see me." he said. "Convenient, eh?" he said.

_Conveniently is makes his activities untraceable to the general public. _Lyra thought.

"Now that you're a Princess Mage you'll have to keep an eye out for Queens." Kyubey said.

"Yep!" Sarah said cheerfully. "Isn't it nice that we can help people?" Sarah said.

"True." she said. "Though... It's dangerous. You were almost killed yesterday, Sarah." she said.

"Well..." Sarah said. "I think if I'm a servant, I may as well take an active role in protecting people." she said. "Like a sheepdog protecting its flock."

"..." Lyra was silent for a few moments. "You don't need to take this you know." Lyra said. "Just because you're a servant doesn't mean you're worthless."

Grace walked over, apparently she had been eavesdropping. "But you are worth **less**" she said. "Your heritage is severely lacking and I don't think your breeding is appropriate for a scholar." she said. "Not like Lyra."

Lyra was complimented by her insults. But she tended to feel rather uncomfortable with her insults. _Why's she kissing up to me? _

_ "_Sounds like she quite admires you, Lyra." Kyubey said.

At that Grace stared at Kyubey. For a moment Lyra thought she had actually noticed.

"I've got to go." Grace said. "I'll see you and your little servant later." Grace said.

Lyra finished her breakfast and started worrying about her symbology exam. "That Queen attack really ate into my study time." she sighed.

"Yeah... Sarah said. "Princess Mage work tends to do that." Sarah said. "Mind if I come along?" Sarah said. "I might be able talk you professor into something."

Lyra was rather curious as to what this "something" was. But Lyra nodded and got up. She put away the tray.

The pair walked down the halls to the Humanology* wing. Lyra headed to the classroom hearing Professor Miller sobbing. "Do you hear that?" Lyra said.

"Yeah..." Sarah said. "Should we see her?"

Lyra didn't need to answer. She poked her head into the office. The place was uncharacteristically dark. The anbaric lights were unlit, replaced by a single candle. Miller was crying and her panther daemon was curled at her feet. "What is it?" Miller said. "Is that you, Lyra?"

"Yes." Lyra said to her professor. "Something wrong?"

"Oh... the lights are fine..." she said. "I just don't feel very bright right now." Miller sobbed stroking her panther.

Sarah tactfully asked. "Tell us about it." she said.

Miller at once regained her composer. "My husband." she said. "He died last night..." she said. "He'd been fighting with _phthisis*. _He'd looked light he'd finally recovered..." she said blowing her nose.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said. "My friend here... she's been up last night helping me with a project. Do you think you could allow her to take the exam a bit later? Maybe around three?" she asked.

"No problem." Miller said.

Lyra was shocked. Sarah barely even knew Miller. Sarah had walked into the office of a grieving stranger and had simply asked the teacher for more time. _Maybe there's something more here than meets the eye._

"Thank you." Sarah, said cheerfully. "Lyra won't disappoint, will you Lyra?"

"Of course not." Lyra said still a bit suspicious. "Thank you Professor. I'm truly sorry for your loss." she said gripping Pan.

"I'll see you later then." Miller said. Her panther looked at Lyra as if to say _We really need some alone time._

Lyra stepped out into the hallway. "So how'd you do it?" Lyra asked.

"I'm got a certain charm about me." Sarah said. "I try to use it sparingly... But it really does help in a pinch."

Lyra decided not to press further. "Thanks for buying me a few more hours then." she said. "But don't you have theology to head to?"

Sarah froze for a second. "Yes I do! I better hurry. Thanks Lyra!" she said.

Sarah rushed through the hallways. At her fastest Sarah could outpace Lyra, quite an accomplishment considering the time Lyra had spent avoiding servants and scholars as a child.

"You don't think?" Pan said as soon as he was sure she was out of eyesight.

"It's possible." Lyra grudgingly admitted. "But if she really could do that... Why does she always get pushed around?"

Lyra thought of this on the way to the pavilion. It was a beautiful day and Lyra wasn't one to waste an opportunity to get away from Anna.

She found herself a nice table by the campus pond. She took out her charts and started on the solar aligned symbols. She focused intensely on the characters until interrupted by a certain weasel...

"That looks rather complicated." Kyubey said. "Why didn't you just wish for that?" he asked.

"You again..." Lyra said. "Because I'm not going to deal with you if I can avoid it." Lyra commented. "Besides... You didn't give me a lot of time to think."

"What can I say, Lyra?" Kyubey said. "You may think I was trying to outfox you." he said. "But unlike you, I never lie." Kyubey said. "Regeneration is a messy process. Sarah wouldn't have likely have regenerated in time to defeat that Queen."

"Like I'd buy that." Lyra said. "You're a weasel. I'm a weasel. We tend to be good at lying." she said. "So don't twitch your tail and stare at me expecting me to eat it all up." she said.

"Fine." Kyubey said. "I'll keep my distance. I've got other people to help after all." he said.

The weasel hopped off the table. "I'd watch out." he said. "There's a Queen nearby."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Not much in the way of action this chapter. Mostly character development. I decided to make Grace a bigger character than I originally planned. Figured she'd be a nice contrast to Sarah.

Humanology = Liberal Arts

_Phthisis = _Tuberculosis


	6. I'd love to help!

"Hmm.." she said scanning the area for abnormalities. The people outside were cheerily going about their business. There didn't seem to be any abnormalities.

"Think that weasel is having us go for another ride?" she said.

"Don't see how it would benefit him." Pan pointed out.

"You have a point." she said.

Lyra looked around for a good half-hour before giving up in disgust. "Why do I listen to that little weasel?" she asked.

"Isn't he your soul?" a voice said.

Lyra turned around and saw Miller and her daemon.

"I wasn't talking about Pan." she said. "The weasel is metaphorical." she lied.

"OK." Miller said. "Understandable."

Miller looked rater listless. Lyra found it strange that she hadn't bothered to ask why Lyra wasn't studying. Lyra took out her chainclock* and noted that it was 1:30. _Miller should be proctoring her class's exam. _Lyra noted.

"Nice clock." Miller noted. "I wonder if that was inherited from your parents..."

"No, Professor Miller." Lyra said sadly. "My parents... They never much cared for me. My father posed as 'Uncle' Asriel for years and my mother..."

She realized that in Miller's current state it would be unwise to bring up the horrors of Bolvangar. "Didn't get herself involved much."

"Well.. You inherited his interest in Althieometry at any rate." she said casually. "It's amazing what you can do with that contraption." she said. "But on top of the heresy controversy there's the long mastery time."

"Yes." Lyra said. "Even in your class, I'm the only one interested in that course." she said.

"Good for you." Miller said. "Don't listen to them. Learn what you want. Do what you want. Marry who you want." she said with a great increase of bitterness at that last word.

"Professor?" Lyra asked gently.

"I'll be seeing you later." she said.

Lyra noted this. MIller seldom went on about her personal life or took interests in the lives of her students. "Something's wrong." she said. "I can feel it."

Forgetting about the issue of the Queen, she attempted to return to her studies. She barely managed to hit the second read through of her symbology charts when she heard the chimes of the 2:45 bell resounding from the chapel.

"Better head down." Lyra said.

She arrived at her classroom only to see Miller unconscious. She noticed an empty bottle of Hydraclear*. There were papers scattered throughout her desk. The words seemed rather random but it was clear what had happened and what they meant.

"Why?" Lyra gasped in a moment of weakness. She then noticed something odd.

While the words were entirely random there were papers mixed in with words that were written in the runic script she had seen yesterday within the Queen's domain.

"This can only mean one thing." Lyra said.

"The weasel wasn't lying after all." Pan said. "You call the almshouse* and try to find the Queen's domain. I'll get Sarah." he said.

Lyra nodded. She had tried to keep her power to separate from Pan a secret. The story for how'd she obtained that ability sounded like another one of her tall tales, and people would suspect her to be a witch. But this was an emergency and she couldn't afford to delay.

Pan scurried off as fast as the Marten could run. Lyra was thankful that Miller was a fan of new innovations. She had a vocicursor* in her office. She dialed the emergency number and gave a rushed explanation of Miller's condition to the clerks at the almshouse. She doubted that Miller had a prayer if she didn't stop the Queen.

Sarah arrived in a chapelcoat and cauchuc spectacles*. "That was amazing Lyra. I had no idea you could do that." Sarah said excitedly.

"We don't have time for an explanation Sarah." Lyra pointed out scooping up Pan. "We need to take down the Queen."

She turned Pan into her Soul Gem again. As Kyubey had stated the second time was nowhere near as painful. Once again she transformed wishing that her gem was in a less intuitive place than her chest.

Sarah had also transformed. For some reason Lyra couldn't fathom the spectacles remained.

"That needs to be fixed." Sarah said. She removed her cap for a moment. Lyra got a glimpse at her compact Soul Gem. It resembled and Olive branch looped into a circle.

Sarah put her hat back on. "Let's head to her Domain."

Lyra nodded. She pointed to the chalkboard and the way into the domain was opened.

The step into the place found that it was just as bizarre as the previous Domain. The entire world seemed to be made out of chalk on a background of pure green. Lyra looked at Sarah and her and noticed that they had been converted into a similar style of chalk drawings.

"This is weird." Sarah said. In reality there was no sound. A bubble of speech emerged from her mouth. Lyra read the words.

"You tell me." Lyra said. "I wonder how the hell we're going to actually reach the witch?"

There were runes skidding across the board. 1)

"Follow them?" Lyra said.

Getting adjusted to this reality wasn't as hard as she had thought. The pair ran along the white line hoping to find the path to the witch.

"Now what?" Lyra said. More runes 2) were right below the white line. They disappeared quickly.

In her thought she was attacked by this Queen's pawns.

These pawns looked like stick figure in preacher robes. Their eyes had been erased though there still were smudges where they used to be. The pawns were armed with nightsticks.

They beat down on Lyra swiftly and cruelly. They then when she was beaten into submission they dragged her across seemingly empty space.

Sarah took out her whip and chased after them, only to fall the second she reached the end of the white line.

"There's got to be some kind of trick to this." Lyra said. She summoned her chakrams and slashed at the stick figures. Blind to her attacks and trapped in a soundless world they panicked the second they could no longer feel their captor.

Lyra fell the second she started walking. "Do the laws of mundane theology not apply?" she asked.

Her fall was thankfully cushioned by more runes. 3) Sarah was sitting on the opposite edge.

"What do we do now?" Sarah asked.

"I have no clue." Lyra said. "We aren't getting anywhere until we get back to the top of the line." she said.

At that moment Lyra ended up on the line's top.

"Lyra!" Sarah shouted. Lyra could assume she shouted because the bubble was big enough to float up the top of the green chasm.

Lyra though of her friend down there alone. At that moment Lyra was by her side.

"I can teleport." she said cheerfully.

"Wow!" Sarah said loudly.

"That's great and all." Lyra said. "But how are we going to reach this Queen?"

"Hmm.." Sarah said. "Everything we say become a bubble right?"

" Yes." Lyra agreed.

"Well look up there!" Sarah said.

The bubbles of their previous dialogue remained. They had floated up to the top of the board.

"If we could hop up on the bubbles and reach the top of the board." Sarah said. "Maybe we can find the witch's room."

"How do you come up with ideas like that!" Lyra said. She leaped up to the speech bubble and found it capable of supporting her weight.

"What can I say?" Sarah said. "I love to help."

Lyra and Sarah hopped from speech bubble to speech bubble ascending higher and finding more and more runes.4)

"There it is!" Sarah said.

This gate resembled a book with its spine to the sky. But when the pair reached the gate...

More of the pawns ambushed the pair. This time they were armed with numbers and dates. Lyra remembering the damage the Queen inflicted yesterday blocked their attacks with her Chakrams. Sarah disarmed the pawns with her whip. She took a seven in her hand and thrust it at the pawns. Just as it looked like she had gained the upper hand.

"Oh!" Sarah said as she was knocked unconscious.

One of the pawns had taken Sarah's Soul Gem.

"Not while I'm around." she said. She carefully aimed her Chakrams at the Pawn and cut off its left arm.

The Gem plummeted to the ground.

Lyra teleported to the Gem and made a grab for it. She missed

"Sarah!" Lyra called.

The bubble began to sink. It was able to catch the Soul Gem and cushion it's fall.

Sarah awoke. "What happened?" she said confused.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Sorry for the number of notes today. This turned out to be a long chapter.

chainclock= pocket watch

Hydraclear = An allergy medication similar to Benedryl.

vocicursor = telephone

chapelcoat = lab coat (this one is from the original HDM novels referring to labs as chapels) cauchuc spectacles = goggles. The Lyraverse word for rubber or plastic combined with glasses.

Runes

At this point I've given up on using the Madokaverse alphabet

This can't be true!

Am I a hero?

Why are you all so blind?

a) I'm trying to teach you! b) It's too late. c) There's still hope, right?


	7. Always There

"That Gem...": Lyra said. "if it gets too far away, you just..."

"Pass out?" Sarah said. "Well it actually happens a lot with me. Lucky that someones's always there.": she said.

"Always there?" Lyra asked.

"Yes." Sarah said. "A masked princess mage. She refuses to identify herself. But whenever I get into trouble she somehow always finds me." Sarah said.

"Masked?" Lyra asked. "Why would one of us...?

" she asked. She stared at the ground for a second. Upon closer inspection the "stick figures" were off. The legs and arms were longer and the grin on their smashed faces were smiling too disturbingly for Lyra's taste.

"I don't know." Sarah said honestly. "She leaves telling me. 'Don't need to ask for help.'"

Lyra considered the implications. She should have figured that the incubator wasn't satisfied with the two of them.

"We're wasting time." Lyra said. "We need to beat this Queen." she confirmed.

She opened the gate to the Queen's chamber. An image of an open book appeared briefly before the last barrier was broken. They stepped into the room. Books covered and covered with runes appeared. It seemed to go on forever.

The Queen stood. She appeared to be made out of pure letters, all clashing and rearranging themselves into the form resembling the silhouette of a grown women who wore a sideways "B" as a pair of spectacles. "R wrwm'g vcivxg bjf gj fmwvihgzmw." said the Queen. Another string of runes appeared if only briefly 1).

"What is that noise?" Sarah asked.

Lyra covered her ears from the blast. "I don't know." she says. "But its like pure torture."

Book flew at both of them. Lyra caught a glimpse of a few sentences in her panic. 2) She summoned out her chakrams. She sliced the books in two.

The Queen sniffed at this effort. "Bjf gdj ziv hgfwvmh. Fsb djm'g bjf orhgvm gj nb ovxhfiv?"

Sarah tried to whip the queen. The queen chuckled, still muttering to herself. Books arrived from all sides of the room and enclosed her in a wall of books. '

"Coming Sarah!" Lyra said. She took her chkrams and tore through the binding. Chalk dust flew into the air for every blow.

"I can handle the dust." Sarah said. She spun her whip like a tornado blowing the refuse to the Queen.

"Xszop wlvh mlg wrhgfiy nv." the Queen said laughing a disturbing and distorted laugh. She took out one of her many books. She decided to pick up a pen and found that it could only produce scribbles. "Nb ofxp."

While the Queen mumbled Sarah tried to whip her. She wrapped her up into crysilis of black leather and called. "Now's your shot Lyra!"

Lyra nodded. She took her chakrams's and aimed at the Queen hoping to end this battle quickly.

The Queen took out a baton which extended into a lance. It instantly broke through Sarah's whip, dodging Lyra's rings as well. Sarah was pushed into the library and was covered in a pile of book. She charged at Sarah trying to flip her exposed hat off her body.

"Ovh'g gvv dszg bjf ziv ergsjfg bjfi Hjfo Tvn?"

Sarah's hat slid away from her but she was still in range. "Lyra! Someone!" she called

"Hsv froo ye wvaw fmhro hsv tvgh rg yzxp." said a calm voice.

A princess mage arrived on the scene. She was adorned in a silver dress with covered her body like a somewhat ethereal veil.

"Orpv nv! Proo gsvn zmw hsev gsvn uiln hsvri hfuuvrmt!"

"I can do that." she said. "But not now. On the other hand it seems like it's your time" The masked princess drew out a lance, much like the queens. She stabbed her through the heart. "Ah.. Sarah. Always getting in trouble I see." the girl said.

The Queen's domain disseapeared and the three stood in the deserted classroom.

"Thank you." Lyra asked.

"Ms. Belaqua." the girl said. "He roped you into this I see." the princess in silver commented. "It was a breeze for me. "

"How do you know my..?"

"Name?" the girl responded. "I know a lot of things... So did this Queen." said the princess. "But she sadly was a creature of pure despair. She was lost trying to teach students who could never listen."

Lyra was very curious about this princess. She appeared their age with silver hair and a silver apple broach around her head.

"What was she trying to say?" Lyra asked.

"Nothing that you should be aware of." she said. "With knowledge comes pain and despair. It is better that you don't know."

"I knew it!" Lyra said. "I know you sound familiar you little..." she said frustrated. "Ana. I didn't think you were the type."

She knew she'd been beat. She removed the mask. "You've got wit. That's something different from knowledge you know." she said. She removed the broach from her hair and her Soul Gem appeared. In a moment it was her dæmon Pax. She changed from her silver adornments to her schoolgirl clothes. "Looks like Professor Miller has been taken to the almshouse. Hopefully we were able to save her. "

She stared at the girl and her dove. "So what are you doing at this job?" Lyra asked. "You don't seem to be the type to mess with your soul."

"My soul..." she said. "He's fine thanks. Now who's the one meddling into the affairs of the soul?" Anna snapped bitterly.

"Just saying that your hypocrisy is rather blatant she said coyly. She resumed her normal form and Pan reappeared on her shoulder.

"I said I'd fight evil." she said. "That's what I do. This... It's a big sacrifice I admit. But everything comes with its proper reward." Anna said. "It will be clear to even you in time." she said staring out into the distance.

"Not likely." Lyra said as honest as she would ever get. "I'm tired of hearing about this 'Authority' and 'Heaven' stuff. Life is what I make of it and that holds true for you too."

"Lyra..." she said. "There are real benefits to this. But maybe you aren't in the mood for a lecture." Anna commented. "Here."

Lyra caught a Grief Seed round and dark. "I don't need your charity." Lyra said.

"Charity is nothing to me." Anna said. "Besides... You need to keep the darkness at bay. Your resentment won't help."

Lyra didn't trust a word of this girl's mouth. She was a hypocrite and a zealot, and why should she trust that weasel or Anna about her Soul! She threw the Grief Seed at Anna and stormed out grabbing a few of the papers on the desk.

"Lyra!" Sarah said. "Can't you just accept a simple gift?"

Kyubey was waiting for her back in the apartment. He was smiling and said. "Had a rough day with your fellow royalty?" he said in his sweet voice.

"Could have mentioned her." Lyra said.

"Don't ask and I won't tell." he said. "That's how we work."

"Hmmph..." she said. "All this nonsense about 'cleansing your soul' sounds more like 'brainwashing' to me."

"The corruption of the Soul Gem will lead a Princess Mage to sin." Kyubey said. "I would be concerned about the consequences on your soul." he said.

"I don't believe the church and you bet I won't believe a little weasel like you." she said returning to her studies.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Before you ask the queen's speech is created using a simple cypher. It was a pain to write though, but at least this is one thing that will definitely transfer to .

The finale of Madoka adds quite an ironic twist to this particular crossover but it actually moves this in a direction I was already planning to explore. And so we have three Princess Mages I think Anna makes a nice foil for Lyra and Kyubey is as always manipulating the tension between the two.

Alberta

In this country those who will inherit power are known as princesses. It only makes sense then that every Princess will grow to become a Queen.

Lyra can't read the script yet of course so that second one doesn't do her much good.


	8. Something I Have to Tell You

Lyra awoke next morning and travelled to the almshouse. She was glad to see Professor Miller was still alive. She lied her way into visiting her by claiming to be her niece. She arrived at the bright yellow room. She saw Miller spread on the bed looking thoroughly miserable. Her daemon lay spread against the almshouse bed looking down upon Lyra's entrance into the room.

"Ms. Belaqua..." she said. "I can't believe it... I don't know what came over me." Miller said. "It was like pure unadulterated pain... Nothing I could do would make it stop. I couldn't even feel Chaucer." she said.

"Couldn't feel your daemon..." Lyra said. "I've seen people who really had their souls split from them." she said. "Not pretty. All of them were hanging on a thread with a desperate hope to get them back... or even... End it." Lyra said.

"I know you... You were caught up in the Bolvangar nonsense." Miller said. "Despicable. The mere notion that the Magisterium would do such horrible experiments." she said. "It didn't take me much to pull me over the edge." Miller said.

Miller suddenly turned her head as much as she could. She seemed to be looking out for someone. "I'm sick of this Authority." she said. "He wouldn't of let Jacob died, wouldn't have let those terrible crimes occur in his name." she said.

Lyra smiled at her. "You don't have to answer to anyone."

"I'm grateful you understand." Miller said. "The Magisterium is so close to the almshomes that I'm afraid they'd kick me out for such blatant heresy."

"I'm not telling." Lyra said. "It's enlightening to see the world as it really is."

"You too Lyra?" she said. "No surprise after everything you've been through."

The nurse returned with a cheerful look on her face. She and her little retriever dæmon walked up to Miller. They served the professor a tray of fruits and vegetables with a small portion of beefsteak.

"We'd like you to leave now Ms. Miller." she said to Lyra. Her dæmon smiled on his mistress's shoulder.

"I understand." Lyra said.

She walked out of the almshouse up to the lobby before Anna appeared, her dæmon perched on her shoulder.

"Lucked out I suppose." Anna said. "Looks like we've spotted a Queen."

Kyubey was with her smiling in the same face he always wore. "Queens love almshomes. They can take a lot of life without raising too much suspicion." Kyubey said

"I suppose I can take a little more action today." Lyra said. "This was the last of my exams and it was cancelled."

"Let the two of us look for the entrance to the domain." Anna said coldly. "Kyubey, I want you to get Sarah, understand?" she asked.

"Sure!" Kyubey said. "Just leave someone to tell me where the domain is."

The weasel darted off from the hospital, unnoticed by the other patients or doctors.

"This is exactly what I was waiting for." Anna said. "The two of us alone."

"Why's that exactly?" Lyra asked as she scanned the hallways for some sign of a Queen.

"Sarah isn't the same kind of person as you." Anna said. "She's trusting emotional, and she hasn't been through nearly as much as you have."

"What do you know about that?" Lyra asked.

" A lot." Anna said. "I've heard of all your exploits. You've crossed worlds and done more than most so in their lifetimes." Anna said. "Which is why I think you can handle what I'm about to say."

Lyra was scrupulous. " Why should I believe you? You seem like an agent of the Authority to me."

Anna tried to remain silent. She stared off into space until... "There it is." she said.

There was another seal at the door. An empty cage flashed for a second, showing the entrance to the barrier.

"We need to keep Kyubey on top of this." Lyra said. "At the very least he's the one bringing Sarah with him." She set Pan along the ground. "I can go as far away from him as need be. Did you know that Ms. Know it All?"

Anna didn't respond to this "You know you can't transform without him." Anna said. "You'll be defenseless in there until he returns."

_This new side of Anna is even creepier than Kyubey. _"I figured as much." Lyra said,

"Then I'll open the way. We can only hope we don't face the Queen until Sarah returns." Anna said.

She coddled Pax for the moment before he turned into a shining silver gemstone. She briefly shone with a silver and reappeared with her princess mage attire. The mask was still there showing Lyra as much as Anna's face as her mind.

The gate was opened when Lyra stepped into the barrier. There seemed to be a simplification of images. The colors were bright, the objects in her sight appeared to be bold with a line separating them from the rest of reality.

But the bigger shock was the nature of what she saw. Hundreds upon hundreds of beasts in cages. Lyra saw them and understood them to be know mere animals. She knew this place and she knew it well.

"Bolvangar." she said.

"Quick Lyra, there's something I have to tell you." Anna said.

Before Anna could say another word there appeared a pawn. A horrific pawn made like a Shellysian* abomination. It was like a dog, a hummingbird, an elephant and a tiger, were all crudely stitched into one form. The beast lunged at Lyra.

Anna summoned her lance, charging at the chimera with full speed. The beast was knocked back, but it soon stumbled onto it's horrific claws and began to fly at Anna herself.

Another of the pawns spotted Lyra and began to chase her. The rows and rows of cages were differentiated solely by the beasts they contained. Lyra soon became lost in the maze of cages. She was thinking.

_Bolvangar. We can't be here? What is here? Why is this domain like that terrible place? _Lyra's mind raced but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't help but face the same terrible conclusion.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Anna is someone who I'm trying to balance between being mysterious and being obtuse. She has her reasons not to immediately tell Lyra the truth. Lyra isn't trusting her at all so she needs to be delicate in how she makes the case. Too bad there's bound to be trouble coming up.

I've started posting witch cards with images of the witches and familiars we've seen so far on my deviant-art account seashell attorney. Witches as it turns out, are quite fun to draw.

You can't help but feel sympathy for this queen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened to her.

VOCAB

*From Mary Shelly the author of Frankenstein. Essentially unnatural and grotesque.


	9. Something Wrong Here

The monsters had Lyra backed up into a corner. Lyra tried to find something that she could defend herself with. She was surrounded by cages horrific cages, the cold soulless cages of Bolvangar. _This place looks exactly like there. _Lyra thought. _These abominations... Are they the Queen's dæmons? _she thought horrified.

She grasped around but there was no where to run and nothing to fight with. She dodged the attacks of the abominations as best she could. She was relieved to hear a familiar voice.

"LATIGO MAXIMA!" it cried.

Sarah was there with her whip slashing so fast that it appeared to be wind. The Pawns fell around her showing deep scars before disappearing into the aether. Pan was standing back to avoid the brunt of the blow.

"Pan!" Lyra called hugging her dæmon. He was shaking, probably just as traumatized by memories of Bolvangar as his human.

"We don't have time for this." Sarah said panicked. "Transform and we'll take this Queen down."

"There's something wrong here." Lyra said.

"This place... It's Bolvangar." Pan said.

Sarah stared in horror. "But... We're in England. No where near."

"I've been suspicious." Lyra said. "All those runes that are around the barrier." Lyra said. "Pan... Come here for a second."

The marten nodded. Cuddling up to his human he smiled.

Lyra pressed Pan to her chest, changing him from a Marten to a ring.

"They're the same as the ones on this ring." she said. "What exactly are these Queens?" she said.

Just as she was about to state her theory the cages clacked around rearranging themselves into an entirely new labyrinth. Sarah was on one end calling out to Lyra unheard over the chaos. The new row of cages had runes on them, flashing against the poorly lit backdrop of the barrier. 1)

"Great." Lyra said. "Let's go Pan."

She took the ring and took it in her palm. She activated her transformation summoning her Chakrams, on guard for the Queen's Pawns.

A few more came, still as stitched together. Lyra slashed at them, with all her fury, taking them apart bit by bit. The ones still standing reared up and clawed at Lyra's soul Gem, biting their fangs into it.

"It's like..."

She realized that despite her fights, Lyra hadn't been in much pain since she contracted. The wound to the Soul Gem hurt like hell. Almost like being separated from Pan. _That's exactly what it feels like. _Lyra thought as she retaliated against them. The Chakrams began spinning like gyroscopes, slicing through all the abominations in her path.

Wanting to avoid more damage she ran through the catacombs of the cage and labyrinths. She arrived at a guillotine frame grotesquely hanging above the cold hallways of the cages. Anna was waiting for her there, transformed and unmasked.

"You recognize this place." Anna said. "It's a place of great despair." Anna said reflexively stroking her shoulder, forgetting Pax wan't there.

"This is Bolvangar." Lyra said. "The place where people were cut up and used as mere guinea pigs for Dust research." she said. "I have a deep nagging feeling as to why that is."

"This Queen..." Anna said. "Was a Princess once."

Lyra tried not to be too alarmed. Deep inside she struggled with the turmoil of this. _Have I been killing people here? Why did this happen? _

"What happened?" Lyra said as controlled as she could muster.

"She ran out of hope." Anna said sadly. "She couldn't take the pain anymore. It consumed her."

"How do you know this?" Lyra said. "And stop dodging the question."

"It was my..."

Sarah arrived on the scene untransformed with Scipio in tow.

"Hello you two. Sorry I'm late but I got stuck in a very tricky part of these mazes. Needed Scipio to smell his way out." Sarah said.

Anna said. "Perhaps we should drop this for now and head for the Queen."

Lyra understood the sentiment. Sarah was the type to bury her problems deep and let it control her. If she caught wind of this... Who knew what could happen?

The runes that floated around the guillotine flashing a sickeningly familiar violet light. 2)

"Let's head in..." Sarah said trying to mask her fear for the sake of her comrades. She turned Scipio to his Gem state and transformed.

Lyra followed Anna and Sarah into the barrier. She really didn't want to go, but the back of her mind told her that she had no choice.

The Queen's chamber was coated in the same mesh that once separated Lyra from her very soul. There were knives all around, ready to cut them to pieces both in body and soul. Lyra scanned the area for the Queen. She then spotted a mass of red laying hunched back on the floor. It began to quiver.

More runes appeared 3) right before the figure before them arose. She was a mess of flesh with what little skin remaining was hastily sewn on to her body. Where there should have been a head there was her leg dangling the actual head jutting out of her abdomen. She was supported by one arm and one leg, rising up in a kind of half handstand. There was a hole where her heart should have been.

"This thing..." Anna said breaking her calm and holding her head in panic.

"Anna?" Sarah asked.

The creature wasted no time in introductions. It swung at Anna throwing her against the wall. Anna began bleeding from the force of the attack.

"What is she..." Lyra asked.

"We don't have time for this." Sarah said. She had already drawn her whip. She slashed at the monster, lashing out at it's leg leaving deep gashes. The creature seemed not to notice, though it's contorted face indicated that it simply couldn't be in any more pain than it was.

Lyra took the Chakrams and headed toward the Queen. She slashed at the head finding no blood when she slashed the creature's neck. It callously took Lyra by the arm, trying to rip it from her body.

Sarah noticed her friend's distress and charged at the beast with her whip. Lyra glanced at Anna, still bleeding in the corner, tormented by pain.

"I can't ignore it." Anna cried. "Was this a wish or a curse?"

Lyra flew across the room, the creature still holding her removed arm.

"Lyra!" Sarah called watching in horror. She took her whip and grabbed the creature by the neck. "LATIGO VINCULANTE!"

The creature tried to scream, but it wasn't able to make a sound. As it died Lyra noticed it clutching her arm as if it was it's very life. It's very soul.

Anna was on the floor. Any physical trace of her injury had disappeared but she was still shaking, and barely conscious. Sarah grinned at her. "Guess it was high time I saved you."

The remains of the creature condensed into a grief seed. Lyra noted that it had a bird shaped emblem on the top.

The barrier around them disappeared leaving the trio alone at the hospital.

"Are you alright!" said a nurse staring at Lyra's arm. Lyra answered honestly. "Yes. I can't feel a thing."

Kyubey was watching them, sitting around the hall waiting for them.

AUTHOR'S NOTES.

I'm still keeping up with the witch cards if anyone's interested. Now that school's over I'll be able to get these chapter's up faster.

Just a little cut that's all.

Bolvangar: Place of Evil.

3) Shelly


	10. That won't Help

Sarah was clutching the Grief Seed unusually tightly.

"You're arm's growing back" Kyubey said. "See.? Being a princess mage is so useful!"

Lyra couldn't take Kyubey's crap any more. She grabbed the weasel barely resisting the temptation to strangle him right there.

"Why didn't you tell...?" Lyra said.

"Do we really want to talk about this right now?" Kyubey said. "Considering our current company?"

Lyra and Anna both glanced over to Sarah. She was in tears. "I may be a servant... But I'm not an idiot. What did you do with Melissa, Kyubey?"

"Melissa?" Lyra said. "Who are you...?"

"She made a sacrifice for the greater good." Kyubey said. "Isn't that what everyone signed up for?"

Sarah tried to say something... Tried to throttle that little weasel while giving him the lashing of his life... But she decided to stand straight and look Kyubey in the eyes.

"Tell me what happened to Melissa... Without leaving anything out or using any deceptive jargon." Sarah said, coldly.

"That's why you're so valuable in the first place. Very well Sarah." he said. "But you saw the effects of her fate firsthand."

"So it's true..." she said. "Maybe I've heard enough from you." Sarah said.

"It could have been prevented." Kyubey said. "If she'd gotten the Grief Seeds she needed. Rather than splitting it with someone who tended to fall... behind?"

Sarah left the room in disgust. The nurse was too baffled to comment on these girls yelling in to thin air.

"Sorry. She's been quite stressed recently." Lyra said.

"Very..." Anna said incapable of masking her concern.

The two girls left the almshouse. The summer sky was filled with cumulonimbus clouds making it appear like night in the afternoon.

"Was that Queen... Melissa?" Lyra asked to break the silence.

Anna stared out into the dark skies. "She was the first us... Even before I joined. She was a girl who was looking to rejoin her family, a Princess Mage who had been contracted under circumstances she refused to talk about."

"That place I saw in the barrier..." Lyra said. "That was Bolvangar, no doubt about it."

"Yes..." Anna said. "Melissa was likely a victim of intercision." she said.

Lyra looked at the Thames trying to mask her horror. There was nothing in the world that scared her more than that guillotine. Not even the Queens...

"The way our contracts work is by transforming the dæmon to a crystalline form." Anna said. "The incubators will do anything to get a contract. They unleash the power inherent in suffering, but it's the mage who directs it... Gives them any ability that they wish. There is an invisible bond between the Gem and the mage... So in a sense she was able to recreate the bond that she shared with Salvador."

She didn't need to ask who he was. "So she got her soul back...?"

"Only for it to fall into despair." Anna said. "What I told her... It didn't help at all."

"What are you talking about?" Lyra said.

"I really don't know, Lyra." Anna said. "I don't know."

She silently headed down the road counter to Lyra and Jordan. She was gone... Perhaps camouflaged by the gray skies surrounding them.

Lyra paced through the city looking for something to take her mind of current events.

"Pan..." Lyra said. "What if that happened to us?"

The marten shook. "Damn that weasel." he said. "Should we get away from him?"

"As far as we can..." Pan said. "Will... Do you think he'll know what to do?"

Lyra sighed. She had been so busy with the Queen fighting over the last few days. She hadn't really even begun to enjoy her wish. "Do you think he'll accept this?" Lyra said. "He asked me not to sacrifice myself."

Pan said was she was thinking. "You didn't sacrifice yourself. You were looking out for your life."

Lyra understood that. "That doesn't mean I can give up." Lyra said. "The Republic of Heaven isn't going to be complete without soldiers." she said. She hadn't ever considered this job as a soldier. She hadn't been given the chance to think about it in the moment the decision was pressed on her. She knew that she would either go down fighting or turn into one of... Them.

"I'm sorry Will..." Lyra said.

"No changing the past." Pan said. "Let's do our best with what we've got. "

Lyra nodded and took out her Soul Gem. She spun it around a few times. She transformed into her uniform as the white crystal spun. The world seemed to spin, in her mind. First upward and then leftward. She opened her eyes. She had ended up in the sticky, bustling city of Will's Oxford.

The city was so crowded that few people looked twice about the arrival of Lyra on the scene. Even those who had seen simply took it as a trick of the light and walked away.

Remembering what Kyubey had said, she begrudgingly turned Pan into a ring. She decided to check by the museum where Ms. Malone had worked. She was her best lead to Will's location at the moment.

" All alone for now..." Lyra said. She had never quite adjusted to the uncanny layout of Will's Oxford. The fact remained that this was so similar to home... But still there were unnerving differences, Jordan's absence chief among them. But even in the unnaturality of this new world there was something amiss.

The place, had suddenly regressed in time to an older era and the barrier was pitch black. She had definitely stumbled into a Queen's domain. She mournfully transformed and looked around for a Queen. She spotted a light blue glowing light and a silhouette of a gentleman approaching it.

"Think _that's _the culprit?" Lyra said. "No way... It's too small. It's got to be a Pawn."

Lyra felt awkward... She normally wasn't one to talk to herself, but with Pan gone she had to fill in the gaps of silence herself. She braced swallowed her apprehensions and headed toward the erie light.

Upon closer inspection the light was some kind of Altar or shrine... standing out against the darkness. She decided to attack the Pawn. She brought out her chakrams and started cutting at the candle.

The candle fell to the ground with Lyra noticing that it's face was horrified. "No need to thank me sir..." Lyra said turning around... What she saw... was thoroughly disturbing.

The man had walked up to the flame, still lit from despite Lyra's massacre of the base. He sat motionless as the flame expanded eating him and burning him in an implosion of fire.

"I..." Lyra said.

But the ball was not done with it's work. It turned into a dark crystal. First extinguishing the flame around it then exploding into something far more terrifying.

"Finally got one." a voice called.

Lyra turned to see another Princess Mage, in full uniform staring at the massive Queen.

"Hey!" she said. "What do you think you're doing, hustling in on my Grief Seed territory." she said.

"Grief Seed!" Lyra said. "That man just died you insensitive..."

"Do you want to me next?" the girl said. "Get out of this domain or I can't be held responsible for what happens next, noob." she said bringing out a mace.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!"


	11. Not a Big Deal

They stood in a massive church, made of stone but somehow feeling alive. The place was almost all dark with only the stained glass letting in light. Lyra gazed at the other girl. She had brown hair in dressed in the trousers worn by girls in Will's world, but the finer details were lost to Lyra in the darkness.

She spoke in a Cockney accent with somewhat of a disturbing cheer to her words. "This one is strong. Got to be a nice and strong Grief Seed." 

Lyra looked down to the earth. _How could I let this guy die? And why is she so happy? _"So why are you celebrating another one of these monsters?"

"Grief Seeds." The girl said. "Don't you want to keep the magic flowing?"

_I don't think she knows. _Lyra thought. _That's even lower. _"Well… Forget about it. The Queen is my responsibility. I didn't sign up to let people die."

The girl grabbed her. "Heroics like that do more harm than good. Sit back and let me handle it." She said. _Maybe she does know? _Lyra reconsidered.

"Regardless. Try to stop me if you can't catch me." Lyra said defiantly. She glanced at the ledge beneath the stained glass window. She thought for a moment and she was there somewhat winded. _I've got to be careful with stuff like that. Don't want to overexert myself. _Lyra thought remembering "Shelly"

Lyra, from her current height was incapable of seeing the other Princess Mage below. But she did hear the cries of frustration echo through the cathedral. _I've got to find that Queen fast._

Lyra glanced at the runes that were etched on the walls. 1) _It has to mean something… _Lyra thought. _Could it help me find the Queen?_

Lyra then saw that below the sketch was a large bell, one that was common in her world as a signal for time. _Is the witch hidden in the bell tower? _She fought.

Lyra decided not to hesitate. She took a leap toward the ground, barely feeling it when she landed. She searched in the shadows for a staircase. She noticed some of the Pawns were lighting up.

_Pawns usually guard the Queen. _She thought. Lyra took the Chakrams, one in each hand and began slicing at the candles. Remembering her past failures she looked around for holy water. Finding a spring of it she used a bit of magic to dump it on the Pawns, extinguishing them. _On to the Queen._

Lyra looked for the staircase to the bell tower but found it nowhere to be seen. She wandered for a few minutes before hearing the echo of the other Princess Mage's laughter. _These candles are nothing but a lure! _Lyra realized.

There was another light shining through the darkness of the barrier. Lyra charged at it, only to find Ana waiting for her, the Soul Gem glowing.

"What are you doing here?" Lyra said. "How did you even get to Will's world?"

"I know the way to the folds that go between worlds." Anna said. "They still exist, a part of the grand design of all worlds."

Lyra spat at her in anger. "Can you say something that isn't a puzzle or a bold faced lie!" Lyra asked.

"Here's something straightforward for you. This whole domain IS the Queen. But she can be destroyed by enraging her into ringing her bell." She said.

Lyra asked. "That's what the bell meant. But why do you know all this? And why can't you just tell me?"

Anna said. "I serve a higher power, Lyra. This wisdom granted was a gift for such."

Lyra scoffed. "There is none. The Authority is only Dust, and Dust has no Authority." She said.

"There's something else…" Anna said. "But this isn't the time for matters of philosophy. We must defeat the Queen after all."

Lyra nodded glad to find SOMETHING that she could agree with. The duo ascended the stairs of the tower.

"So how do we get this Queen to shake when she's doomed once she does?" Lyra said.

"She is reckless." Anna said. "She so hates humanity that she'll destroy herself to destroy her foes." Anna said.

"I can work with that." Lyra said.

She reached the stop of the tower to find the other Princess Mage desperately looking for the entrance to the Queen's final room. "It's got to be here." She said.

Lyra looked around but noticed no bell. "You sure about this plan Anna?" she said suspiciously.

Anna smiled. "We need to meet the Queen at her throne first." She said.

Anna stood up to an altar placed in the center of the room and prayed. Lyra tried to hide her disgust, while the other girl blatantly sniggered at her. There rose a curtain in the air, right where Anna prayed.

"Guess you nutters led me right to the prize." The orange girl said, stepping into the curtain.

Lyra followed the girl recklessly watching as Anna prayed keeping the gate open. She encountered great hideous gargoyles holding aloft a bronze bell. Her Pawns lit the place in all of its terrible beauty. Images of men and women burned, lit in the soft glow of the Pawn's candles.

Lyra teleported up to the gargoyle's charging at the bell. It didn't ring or even budge from the force of her attack. The gargoyle's changed their expression from solemnity to a mocking sneer.

The other girl laughed. "The bell? Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Lyra considered for a moment. _That gives me an idea. _

Lyra moved below the bell, standing entirely under its dark narrow shadow. "You're just a big ugly brute." Lyra said. "No wonder you got stuck as a Gargoyle. "She said.

The inner sanctum rumbled with that comment. _I'm on the right track. _

"Well I can only imagine what you were like before if this is what you got stuck with. Utterly repulsive. No redeeming value, and frankly a bit unoriginal." Lyra said. "The whole church motif… Isn't that centuries old?"

The witch shook harder. Lyra braced herself on the platform and decided to teleport off the second the bell rang.

"All this pomp, and all these candles and you can't get rid of a couple of pubescent girls. You're a weak coward, that's what you are."

The domain shook hard enough for the massive bell to ring. The domain came crashing down. Lyra ran seeing the orange girl follow her out of the curtain. As soon as the pair exited the place the entirety of the domain disappeared leaving the three girls on a rooftop with a black jewel on the ground four meters away. Lyra dashed over and scooped it up. "I think I've earned it." Lyra said, hiding her exhaustion.

The other girl said in anger. "Well excuse me if I can't randomly insult bells like you do. I've got a date tonight, and I'm going to make it there on time.

Lyra took the crystal and vented her sorrow into it. Anna said quietly. "I'll take you to the one you seek. " she said.

The pair walked the streets of Will's Oxford, transformed into typical attire of the world. Anna knocked on a plat door only to be greeted by a smiling and familiar face.

"Lyra!" Mary Malone said with her chough d aemon flying back in shock. Malone was utterly surprised and a little nervous. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Lyra smiled. "It's a long story Ms. Malone. I'd like to tell it to you and Will."

Lyra spotted Kirjava, Will's cat daemon licking herself and nervously glaring at Lyra.

"Well he's rather busy at the moment." Malone said with the distinct impression that she was hiding something.

"Ms. Malone. It's no big deal." said Will's voice. He was dressed up in clothes that Lyra thought seemed different from normal attire. "I'm going on a date tonight. But it's not a big thing."


End file.
